Thursday Night Cancelation Prompts Reminders of Balloon Fiesta Weather Policies

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 53^rd ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® has flown mostly green flags for its flying events, and a few yellow flags.  The safety of Balloon Fiesta pilots and guests are always a top priority. Thursday night’s cancelation is prompting event officials to remind its guests about rain check policies, that the Balloon Fiesta is a weather dependent event and tickets are nonrefundable.

“The safety of all our Balloon Fiesta guests, including pilots and crew, will always be our top priority when deciding whether or not to inflate the balloons,” says Balloon Fiesta Executive Director Julie Morgas Baca.  “While October is generally ideal for ballooning in Albuquerque, less than ideal weather at Balloon Fiesta Park or in the vicinity, can sometimes prevent the balloons from inflating.”

If the decision is made not to allow the balloons to inflate, Balloon Fiesta will rain-check that session. Guests are still welcome to enjoy all the amenities Balloon Fiesta has to offer for the remainder of the session. In case of a rain-checked session, guests are asked to retain their ticket. The Balloon Fiesta’s ticketing vendor will reload/reactivate any tickets that were scanned for that session.  The ticket will remain valid for any remaining session in the current year (2025).

General admission tickets will be reactivated with the face value of the ticket, Park and Ride and hospitality program tickets, like Gondola and Chasers’ Clubwill be reactivated for the value of a general admission ticket.

Balloon Fiesta’s raincheck policies can be found here:

• General Admission tickets: https://www.balloonfiesta.com/general-admission/
• Gondola Club tickets: https://www.balloonfiesta.com/plan-your-visit/premium-guest-experiences/gondola-club/
• Chasers’ Club tickets: https://www.balloonfiesta.com/plan-your-visit/premium-guest-experiences/chasers-club/
• Park and Ride tickets: https://www.balloonfiesta.com/park-ride/

Balloon Fiesta officials encourage guests to sign up for text messages on the latest news and updates page through the Balloon Fiesta website and check the status of each session on the official social media accounts — Twitter and Facebook (@balloonfiesta).

For updates and more information, visit balloonfiesta.com or download the official app.

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About the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc.

The ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is an annual festival of hot air balloons that takes place every October in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. It is the largest gathering of balloons and balloonists in the world. For details on events, schedule, entertainment and photographs, visit our website balloonfiesta.com and follow us on Twitter/X and Facebook @BalloonFiesta.